Mark Boucher guided the Royal Challengers home as they made heavy work of Kolkata’s mediocre total.

Needing just 140 for victory, Bangalore looked set to cruise home at 65-0 after 10 overs, but once again the dreaded tactical timeout changed the outlook of the innings as Brad Hodge struck three times to bring the Knight Riders back into the match.

But in the end Ray Jennings’s men sneaked home thanks to a quick-fire 25 off 13 balls from the Proteas wicketkeeper.

Kevin Pietersen, in his last game for the Royal Challengers, decided to hand Roelof van der Merwe his IPL debut in Durban, but the biggest surprise was when Pietersen took the ball first up and then proceeded to remove Knight Riders’ captain Brendon McCullum with his first delivery.

In the end Kolkata could only manage a modest total with Chris Gayle (40) and debutant Morne van Wyk (43*) offering the only form of resistance as the three pronged spin attack of Pietersen, Van der Merwe and Anil Kumble suffocated the Knight Riders.